According to the Alzheimer’s society in 2014 69% of care home residents were estimated to have dementia; and with that number only increasing due to an aging population, it’s vital that care homes continue to re-fit or re-design their care homes with dementia in mind. But what should people be keeping in mind when trying to achieve a dementia friendly design and is it that important?
Dementia-friendly design can reduce pressure and stress on families and care home staff. If someone with dementia is calmer and feels more in control, they are likely to make fewer demands on others and cause less potential disruption.
Additionally if they are in an environment designed for dementia patients, then they can in many instances maintain more independence, reducing pressure on care home staff and most importantly, making the service user feel more in control of their environment. It’s fair to say that dementia care is an important consideration in the modern care home.
The very first thing to keep in mind when setting out to make your care home dementia friendly is that every person’s journey through dementia is different and depends on a 
wide range of factors. Dementia impairs recent memory first, so when considering changes think about the person’s strongest memories, which are likely to be from their more distant past. A fantastic recent example of this undertaken by Spearhead Healthcare for Alastrean care home. The care home caters to ex members of the RAF, and the interior design team at Spearhead were able to incorporate this into their designs to help create a more familiar, calmer environment for the residents, such as using old RAF service badges as button studs on chairs.
Another key consideration is the selection of an interior designer. It is important to seek out someone with knowledge and experience in this area. Many interior designers will happily take the job, not understanding the requirements of dementia patients, resulting in unsatisfactory designs that are not dementia friendly due to lack of knowledge & expertise in dementia specific design.
An obvious, but often overlooked key point when considering dementia friendly interior projects is that the design must be simple to comprehend: clarity and straightforwardness should be your key objectives, so that dementia patients will not struggle to understand their environment, which can result in stress and the possibility of violent behavior.
Following on from this it’s important to understand the importance of contrast, colour and placement. Research from the dementia services development centre, part of the University of Stirling, in 2013, stressed the importance of these in relation to dementia care and design. Often dementia patients can have issues with weak shoulders and neck muscles and this can discourage them from looking around, creating potential avenues for confusion and frustration. Optimum placement according to the dementia services development centre is 1.2 meters from the floor and should be well placed for maximum visibility.
Colour is one thing often not thought about in relation to dementia patients, however it can be used to help ease patients understanding of their setting and reduce frustration. For example making the bathrooms in a care home a different colour to the other doors in a care home can make it easier for dementia patients to identify the bathroom.
Contrast can also help or hinder a dementia patient more deeply than just someone who has sight issues. People with dementia can struggle with 3D perception and may misunderstand changes in contrast as steps or holes. Many older people with sight impairments have the same issues, regardless of whether they have dementia, so this is a design adjustment that will benefit them too. By altering contrasts you can draw attention to things patients need to be aware of; more contrast makes it more visible, and of course the reverse is also true.
Choosing your furniture is one area that can’t be overlooked, as with everything else keeping it simple and easy to use and understand is key. Complicated handles or sharp edges can cause accidents with dementia patients. A wide range of dementia friendly furniture exists, and some can be custom made to suit the care homes needs and requirements.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything you need to know when planning for your Dementia friendly care home. A wealth of resources are available at Dementia.stir.ac.uk, or to talk to some experts in care home interior design, including Dementia friendly designs, about plans to re-fit or re-design you care home, contact Spearhead Healthcare on 0345 180 1800 and ask to speak to someone about care home interior design.
